66 Travelall 1100a 4*4 304V8 - amp meter

P

pplaut

Member
I drove 180 miles today in the beast. First long trip. Got up here to see Mom and Dad, fired it up to take Dad for a ride and the AMP needle jammed on C and the gauge is very hot. Pulled the battery out and dad's ancient battery tester said the battery was OK. It's on tricke charge just to be sure. We drove for about 30 minutes and the only time it would come off hard C was at idle. But still very close to C. Thoughts?
Also, the starter was not happy when hot. AMP meter went to D side when turning the key. Then nothing. A tap with a hammer and things got right. New starter needed?

What parts to get the electrical right?

Thanks!
P
 
I would evaluate both the starter and charging system. If your original alternator is still present, it would be a 10DN IIRC. Basically it requires the external regulator wich may be causing issues out of age or possibly corosion. Its definatly not a short if its peged at charge. To me the starter sounds like it would be a seperate issue from the hard charge problem, but I'm no electrical wizz. You may find your starter is just at the end of the road as far as life expectancy, I took one from a 46 dodge pickup to napa and got it back a week later completely restored. If the one in my IH went down I would do the same. You could do the 10si conversion, wich regulates internally. Mine works excellently, and the circuit wiring to bypass the regulator is not complicated (can help if needed).
*edit: looking at the new circuit in mine its actually simpler than the original. The gauges are rated for 65 amp, my 10si maxes out at 63 amp, so it jives well with the rest of the original components.
 
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Cleanliness is next to Godliness when it comes to electrical systems. Wiring junctions and terminations should be free of corrosion and accumulated schmootz. All connections should be snug. There should not be an abundance of ugly butt splices anywhere. Uninterrupted wire runs from beginning to end are best whenever possible. Wire nuts are for structures. They don't belong on motor vehicles. Allowing a state of neglect to persist makes the diagnostic process that much harder when issues crop up. Speaking of diagnostics, you should invest in a handheld multi-meter that you can use to take voltage readings, measure resistance, check circuit continuity and many other useful things.
 
You may consider just rewiring if you have a case of spaghetti syndrome. Its alot easier than trying to hack your way through the jungle. IHPA has the quik wire kits, I know you mentioned liking to keep things looking stock, I used a hand built replacement with original conectors, it eliminated alot of problems near instantly(minor trouble shooting required cuz I'm stupid sometimes). The original bundle that goes to the starter and runs under the frame was saveable for me, saved a couple Benjamins. I dont believe IHPA does these yet, if they do I'm sure one of the mods will provide a link, if not PM me for a link to the one I got.
 
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